Lord Drayson: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Don Touhig) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
	On 31 October, a pensions appeal tribunal announced its decision in the case of Mr Daniel Martin. The Government welcome the acceptance by the pensions appeal tribunal of the umbrella term Gulf War syndrome to cover conditions causally linked to the 1990–91 Gulf War. The Government hope that the use of the umbrella term will address the known concern of some Gulf veterans that we have not recognised a link between their ill health and the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. We hope that this will help to provide an element of closure for those who have sought some acknowledgement that their ill health is connected to their Gulf service.
	The Government also welcome the decision by the pensions appeal tribunal which found that there was no reliable evidence to show that Gulf War syndrome is a discrete medical condition. This confirms the view which the Ministry of Defence has consistently taken and which is based on the overwhelming consensus of world-wide medical and scientific opinion.
	The level of awards will not be affected by the use of the umbrella term as it has always been the policy of the Ministry of Defence to award in full where evidence of disablement is shown and where that disablement is due to, or aggravated by, service.
	The issues surrounding the ill health reported by veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict remain a priority for the Government. We have acknowledged that some veterans of the Gulf conflict have become ill and that this ill health may be related to their Gulf service. Since taking office in 1997, the Government have made it a priority to assist veterans or their dependents by providing medical help, initiating scientific research, making information available and providing financial assistance. We will continue this approach, as appropriate, for the future.

Lord Warner: My right honourable Friend the Minister of State (Jane Kennedy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Today I am announcing referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of topics for its 12th wave work programme.
	I am referring to NICE clinical guidelines in the following areas:
	Low back pain;
	Stroke;
	Glaucoma;
	Irritable bowel syndrome;
	Investigation of children with suspected abuse;
	Chronic kidney disease;
	Spinal cord compression;
	Borderline personality disorder; and
	Antisocial (dissocial) personality disorder.
	I am also asking NICE to consult on the remit and scope for technology appraisals of the following:
	autologous tumour vaccine for stage i-iii renal cell carcinoma;
	idaraparinux sodium for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and for the prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism
	neuro-imaging in the first onset atypical psychosis;
	cochlear implants;
	recombinant factor VIIa for traumatic bleeding;
	rimonabant for smoking cessation, weight loss and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors of overweight obesity;
	certolizumab pegol and natalizumab for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease;
	varenicline for smoking cessation;
	alteplase for acute ischaemic stroke;
	rituximab and abatacept for the treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis;
	adalimumab and leflunomide for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis;
	ruboxistaurin (LY333531) for diabetic eye disease;
	tegaserod maleate and cilansetron for irritable bowel syndrome;
	continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) for sleep apnoea; and
	muragiltazar and tesaglitazar for type II diabetes and associated lipid abnormalities.
	Early referral of herceptin (trastuzumab) for early stage breast cancer and velcade (bortezomib) for multiple myeloma was made on 21 July.
	NICE will begin consultation with organisations representing patients, healthcare professionals and the healthcare industries on the remit and scope of these technology appraisals. I will consider the comments arising from the consultation when finalising the precise remit of the appraisal topics.
	I will shortly be considering proposals for public health topics which will be included in this programme of work.
	Further information, including details of the remits of the topics, may be found on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk. NICE will be publishing indicative timescales for its work on these topics in due course.

Baroness Andrews: My honourable friend the Minister for Local Government has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Today the Social Exclusion Unit in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is publishing a major report entitled Transitions: Young Adults with Complex Needs.
	The report proposes:
	a renewed focus on the 16 to 25 year-old age group, building on the Government's successful programmes for disadvantaged children and families;
	a focus on the "invisible" early twenties, the age at which youth policies have tended to end;
	the need for all young adults to have a "trusted adult" in their lives to help negotiate their way around different agencies; and
	smoother—and therefore better—transitions between services by joining up "vertically" to promote continuity of service from adolescence to adulthood.
	The report highlights three key themes:
	Thinking and Behaviour For young adults, issues around thinking and behaviour are particularly critical because decisions made during the transition to adulthood—particularly in areas like education and employment—are some of the most important and far-reaching decisions taken at any time of life.
	Age-bound services The importance of the issue of age boundaries was reinforced during this project by practitioners and young people alike. Two issues dominated the discussion of this area: the often abrupt ending of services once a young person reaches a certain age, and the sometimes poor transition between youth and adult services.
	Holistic services and the "trusted adult" Young adults with multiple problems may lack the skills and resilience needed to make the transition to adulthood. Support, advice and guidance are crucial in order for young adults to make a successful transition. For many young adults this will come from their parents, relatives, guardians, or teachers—but not all young adults have these sources of support. For them, this supporting role may be filled by a personal adviser or mentor—or someone else acting in the role of "trusted adult".
	The report contains 27 action points to be taken forward by Government departments. The implementation team in the Social Exclusion Unit will monitor the progress made by the departments on individual action points and will work to ensure that the overarching goals contained within the report are pursued across government.
	Baroness Andrews, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, will chair an ad-hoc group of Ministers from key departments to oversee progress towards the action points contained in the report.
	Copies of the report have been placed in the libraries of both Houses. Further copies can be downloaded from: www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=785.

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am today committing a further £25 million to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the 8 October earthquake in Pakistan. This will bring DfID's total contribution to the relief effort to £58 million, which together with our pledge of £70 million to the reconstruction effort over 3 years, means that the UK's total contribution to relief and reconstruction is £128 million.
	DfID has focused its initial £33 million of relief support on practical assistance, including shelter and logistics, and funding for the relief programmes of the United Nations, the Red Cross movement and non-governmental organisations. Although the relief effort has gathered pace, with the onset of harsh winter conditions the need to strengthen relief operations is now critical. In particular, we need to provide for those living above the snow line or in organised or spontaneous camps. Further support for logistics, shelter, camp management, health, water and sanitation, and nutrition is required.
	The additional funds announced today will help do this. We will also be giving further support to the United Nations' helicopter operation. As part of this, £5.5 million will go to the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, as DfID takes on the contracts for four medium lift Mi-8 helicopters for a four month period. With the onset of winter the need is shifting away from heavy-lift helicopters like the UK CH-47 Chinooks—which are now completing their operations—towards medium-lift helicopters to ensure deliveries to remote and isolated communities. The Mi-8 helicopters are ideally suited to the environmental conditions and will be able to deliver relief to any location in the affected area throughout winter.
	I can also report that this funding will help support an 86-strong team drawn from 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers to be deployed under NATO command to undertake emergency shelter building operations in remote high-altitude areas in the Bagh region. The Royal Engineers unit are highly specialist troops who are trained to operate in winter and mountainous conditions.
	DfID will also be providing further support for: shelter and winter kits, including stoves, for high altitudes; management and servicing of camp sites; primary health care centres, mobile clinics, women's health and counselling; water and sanitation in camps, local communities and hospitals; and food in both camps and displaced communities in remote areas.